Cell Proliferation News and Research

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Gefitinib (Iressa) could reduce the size of breast cancer tumours

Giving women with early breast cancer a drug called gefitinib (Iressa) before surgery could reduce the size of their tumours, suggests a randomised trial published online today by The Lancet Oncology.

17 May 2005

Drugs that block the enzyme Odc prevent the onset of cancers

The drug DFMO prevents cancer in laboratory models of lymphoma but fails to kill existing cancerous cells that have lost the ability to self-destruct, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

16 May 2005

Researchers determine structure of binding site of colon-cancer drug Erbitux and its protein target

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined the precise molecular details of how Erbitux, a recently approved colorectal cancer drug, binds to its target on cancer cells. Knowing this chemical configuration will lead to better drug design for this family of cancer medications.

19 Apr 2005

Researchers show role of Epstein-Barr virus in cancer

Researchers at the University of Toronto have mapped the molecular details that show how a viral protein coded in the Epstein-Barr virus immortalizes cells and causes them to continuously grow, thereby predisposing people to certain types of cancer.

3 Apr 2005

Statins, other cholesterol-depleting agents, may disrupt hypertension from developing

Cholesterol-lowering agents, such as the widely-prescribed statin drugs, and cholesterol-blocking agents may prove to be “novel therapeutic agents to modify cellular calcium that contributes to the development of pulmonary hypertension,” according Hemal H. Patel who lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

3 Apr 2005

Three different leukemias are all caused by mutations that alter a specific enzyme controlling blood cell proliferation

Identifying the genetic malfunction that causes these disorders raises the hope that researchers may be able to devise a targeted therapy, just as they have done for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), which is presently treated with Gleevec. The three leukemias that share a common genetic cause are polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis (MMM).

28 Mar 2005

Strawberries destroy cancer cells

Researchers specializing in the health benefits of plant compounds have shown that quercetin, a phytonutrient found in abundance in strawberries and other fruits, can induce programmed self-destruction of human cancer cells.

23 Mar 2005

Gene named ATBF1 may contribute to the development of prostate cancer

A gene named ATBF1 may contribute to the development of prostate cancer through acquired mutations and/or loss of expression, according to research at Emory University School of Medicine and its Winship Cancer Institute.

23 Mar 2005

Fasting every other day, while cutting few calories, may reduce cancer risk

New research at the University of California, Berkeley, raises such a possibility. It shows that healthy mice given only 5 percent fewer calories than mice allowed to eat freely experienced a significant reduction in cell proliferation in several tissues, considered an indicator for cancer risk.

15 Mar 2005

New cancer drug looks promising

Dr. E. Premkumar Reddy from Temple University School of Medicine and colleagues, in a study examining the effects of Plk1 inhibitor ON01910 on tumor growth in several animal models have found that a small molecule inhibitor of polo-like kinase1 (Plk1) could lead to a new avenue for targeted cancer therapy.

14 Mar 2005

Research reveals a novel key player in the initiation of colon cancer

Gastric and colorectal cancers account for more than 1 million deaths worldwide every year and several research groups have been working to identify the molecular events that result in the initiation and progression of these tumors.

3 Feb 2005

Significant advance toward understanding lifelong process of blood cell formation

A research study published in the February issue of Developmental Cell expands on previous studies by using adult animals to examine the role of a key gene known to be required for blood cell formation. Information gained from this research will be useful for future studies aimed at directing stem cell differentiation in a variety of potential therapeutic contexts.

31 Jan 2005

Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2

Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2, a cellular protein linked to the development and progression of cancer, according to research published in the January 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.

16 Jan 2005

Potential new therapies for cancer and bleeding disorders

Lexicon Genetics announced today that it has advanced two of its drug discovery programs into preclinical development in preparation for investigational new drug (IND) applications.

10 Jan 2005

Zinc treatment may help prevent esophageal and oral cancers

Cancer researchers at Jefferson Medical College and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have found that zinc treatment may help prevent esophageal and oral cancers in those individuals at high risk.

9 Jan 2005

Exposure to the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) stimulates prostate cancer cell growth

An estrogen-like chemical commonly used to synthesize plastic food containers has been shown to encourage the growth of a specific category of prostate cancer cell, potentially affecting the treatment efficacy for a subset of prostate cancers.

4 Jan 2005

Stem cells use inflammatory signals to find injured tissue

A joint effort led by stem cell biologist Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D., of The Burnham Institute, and Samia J. Khoury, M.D., of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, report data suggesting that stem cells use inflammatory signals to “know” where they must home.

20 Dec 2004

Single dose phase I data on CG53135 for the prevention of oral mucositis

CuraGen Corporation has announced results presented from a Phase I clinical trial with CG53135 for the prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in patients receiving high dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) at the ASH 46th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

5 Dec 2004

New mechanism that contributes to the development of some breast and ovarian cancers

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a new mechanism of activation of a pathway known to be implicated in many cancers.

23 Nov 2004

Lorus Therapeutics allowed Canadian patent to protect anticancer drugs

Lorus Therapeutics today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, GeneSense Technologies Inc., has been allowed a patent by the Canadian Patent Office entitled "Antitumor Antisense Sequences Directed Against R1 and R2 Components of Ribonucleotide Reductase."

10 Nov 2004